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Nick Kyrgios says he is \u201ctired\u201d of playing tennis and would walk away from the sport if it was not for his family.<\/p>\n
The former Wimbledon finalist, who has pulled out of next month\u2019s Australian Open as he continues to struggle with injuries, said he has no love for the game and only wants to play for \u201canother one to two years\u201d in order to take care of his family.<\/p>\n
Kyrgios only played one match in 2023 after undergoing knee surgery at the start of the year and said the recovery process has left him \u201cexhausted\u201d. The 28-year-old has also been sidelined by foot and wrist injuries this season and missed all four grand slam events.<\/p>\n
The Australian has previously opened up on his mental health issues and said he contemplated suicide in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it was up to me, I don\u2019t really want to play any more, to be honest. But I have to, almost. I have so much more to give,\u201d Kyrgios told the On Purpose <\/em>podcast with Jay Shetty.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so close [to winning Wimbledon in 2022] and I don\u2019t even really love the sport, I\u2019m only doing this because I love taking care of my family and my people.\u201d<\/p>\n Kyrgios will miss his home grand slam at the Australian Open for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n "I\u2019m tired. I have had three surgeries now,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m only 28 years old, I always wanted to have a family and not be in pain. When I get up, I can\u2019t walk without pain. It\u2019s a tough gig," he said.<\/p>\n "I only want to play for about another one to two years, be at the top, and go down my own terms.<\/p>\n "I would hate to have another surgery or anything like that. I think I\u2019ve still got the ability to have a good one to two years and then that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n "I think I\u2019ll be at peace with everything I\u2019ve achieved and I\u2019m going to have to just say to everyone out there who wants me to play more, \u2018you\u2019re just going to have to be OK with me not playing any more\u2019."<\/p>\n Kyrgios said a difficult period in 2019, in which he spent time in a psychiatric ward in London following a defeat to Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, has to him questioning how long he can continue his career.<\/p>\n "That accelerated my exhaustion and almost pushed me to the end of my career a bit earlier,\u201d he said. "If I had a normal career and I flew under the radar, I don\u2019t feel I\u2019d feel this way but those couple years really, I think, put a lot on my age.<\/p>\n "It\u2019s just hard. I am tired. I\u2019m tired of playing tennis."<\/p>\n